Mikhail Faustin

Mikhail Faustin (1963-2008) was a Russian crime boss who was the leader of the Brighton Beach-based Faustin crime family during the 2000s. Faustin came to New York City after the end of the Cold War and became a major Russian Mafia boss, and his organization became one of the most powerful organized crime syndicates in Brooklyn. In 2008, he was murdered by his own second-in-command, Dimitri Rascalov, to appease his enemy, Kenny Petrovic.

Early career
Mikhail Faustin was born in the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union in 1963, and he served in the Soviet Army during the 1980s. While in Vladivostok, Faustin befriended fellow soldier Dimitri Rascalov, and the two were involved in criminal activities while they were in the army. In 1987, they were sent to a Siberian prison camp for their crimes, and Faustin protected Rascalov from being attacked by fellow inmates. The two of the men would sell marijuana to tourists in Moscow's Red Square after the end of the Cold War, and Faustin exploited a loophole in a United States immigration treaty to move to New York City with his family during the mid 1990s, despite having previous murder convictions in Russia. Faustin settled down in Sea Gate, Brooklyn, where he purchased a luxurious house. America changed Faustin, who decided to adapt to American life. He forbade his wife Elena from using a Russian tea machine to make tea, as he felt that traditional kitchenware made the family look like "barbarians". He insisted on living a Western life, and he would become the boss of an America-based criminal organization, the Faustin crime family, with Rascalov as his second-in-command.

Decline
During the 2000s, Faustin opened legitimate businesses such as the Perestroika cabaret club and the Comrades Bar in Brighton Beach, but he also got involved with criminal industries such as racketeering and the drug trade. Faustin became a cocaine addict, and he slowly lost his mind; he would frequently have Rascalov kill people both within and outside of his organization at his whim. In 2008, Faustin's lieutenant Vlad Glebov was murdered by Niko Bellic, and Faustin had his hitmen abduct Bellic and his cousin Roman Bellic to entrap Niko into working for them. Faustin killed the kidnapper, Andrei, for bringing the Bellics into his family's home and attempting to torture them there. Faustin then hired Bellic as a hitman, having him steal some television sets from the Petrovic crime family, kill The Lost MC biker Jason Michaels, assassinate Kenny Petrovic's son Lenny Petrovic, and destroy one of the Petrovic family's garages. These actions led to the family coming under scrutiny from both the NYPD and the rival gangs, and Rascalov decided to work something out to save the family. Petrovic contacted Rascalov one day, and he offered to spare him and Bellic if they killed Faustin for him. Rascalov, who feared for his own safety, decided to take out Faustin.

Death
Rascalov met Bellic at the boardwalk on Coney Island and convinced him to take part in the murder of Faustin, who was spending time at the Perestroika club. Bellic arrived at the club and confronted Faustin, who attempted to flee as his bodyguards began a shootout with Bellic. Bellic managed to kill several of Faustin's bodyguards before chasing Faustin onto the roof. Faustin warned Bellic that Rascalov would betray him in the future, and he taunted the assassin. However, Bellic executed him with a gunshot to the head, killing him. Rascalov took over the family after Faustin's death, and he would, indeed, attempt to betray Bellic, leading to his own death a while later.